A tale in the Miles Universe is always a fun read. Bujold has that way with her writing to make it so. These later tales though have given us more of what she has always woven, a way to link her secondary characters to the story more intensely and give them all happy endings.

As we look back over the course of the series we see that nearly all the secondary characters peripheral to Miles Vorkosigan have had their own stories tied up yet not with a full novel. That Bujold gives us one of Miles long devoted family members a full book shows that Bujold likes and respects that character and now fleshing him out totally, we see the Ivan Vorpatril is a character to be admired, except in the end when he decides on a course that seems completely at a tangent to what we have come to expect and what he had been groomed for.

At this point in the tale of the Vorkosigan Universe there may never be another story, yet one hopes that there are. There are plot twists a plenty here and all to make a truly exciting, thundering tale that hooks you and becomes a true page turner.

I almost rated this as one of my very favorite reads of all time, a perfect book, but I thought the very last bit a little disappointing as well as some solutions that seem trite instead of right. (Really, Mark making a play at the very end to do something just for the sake of a humorous smile did not fit with the nerve wracking set-up of the situation before that.)

So more in the universe, and with nearly everyone wed, perhaps as we see in the Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan universe, a way for the older generation, our heroes becoming that, and their children growing up to hit their teenage years of rebellion, and then their young adult heroic passing of the baton... ( )

Years ago, I sat in a dark movie theater and laughed frequently and out loud watching "The Fifth Element". Not one other person in the theater laughed. Then. Later, of course, it became a cult classic. "Captain Vorpatril's Alliance" is like that. Either you get the humor, or you don't. For those who get it, the book is witty and vastly entertaining. ( )

Started very well, but the characters kind of lost there 'believability' in the middle part of the book for me. Did not feel as well written as past books, but still much better than last Miles adventure. ( )

Ivan’s door buzzer sounded at close to Komarran midnight, just when he was unwinding enough from lingering jump lag, his screwed-up diurnal rhythm, and the day’s labors to consider sleep.

Quotations

'I do not have a claustrophobia thing. I have a perfectly rational dislike of being locked up in small, dark, wet spaces by people trying to kill me.' (Ivan)

His eye fell on Simon, watching this with his mouth gone wry. 'And Simon. What the hell?' The Why was I blindsided? look was very clear in the Emperor's eye, which Ivan could only be grateful was not turned on him. Yet.

Simon gave him a beleaguered head tilt. 'You know that long lunch appointment I made with you for tomorrow?'

'Yes...?'

'I should have made it for yesterday.'

COPYRIGHT PAGE NOTICES [for the trade paperback edition]:

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portions thereof, in any form.

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"Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran Admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere leaving Ivan to enjoy like on Komarr. But when and old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman Tej Arqua his chivalrous nature takes over and danger finds him once again. Tej and her half-sister Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan but it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barrayarn family. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. Behind his facade of wry and self effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch"--… (more)